Patch panels are often used to provide an interconnection between telecommunication outlets and active equipment. One difficulty experienced with patch panels is knowing which port of the patch panel is connected to which port on other patch panels or active equipment. One solution to this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,586, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. As shown in FIG. 1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,586 discloses a system in which an adapter jacket 1 having an external plug contact 2 is placed on the plug 3. The plug contact 2 is biased by a spring 4. An additional conductor 5, often referred to in the art as the ninth wire, electrically connects plug contacts on opposite ends of a patch cord. Plug 3 mates with an outlet 6 in a patch panel. Above outlet 6 is an adapter printed circuit board (PCB) 7 having an outlet contact 8. The outlet contacts 8 are wired to an analyzer that then can determine which outlets are connected by patch cords by applying a connectivity signal to each outlet contact.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,193,422, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, describes a patch panel system in which a screen is provided on a plug to make electrical contact with a conductive tab at an outlet. This electrical connection allows port-to-port connectivity to be monitored. Alternate plug contacts for ninth wire systems are shown in pending U.S. patent application publication 20070197094, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
In the system of U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,586, the spring-loaded pin provided on the plug boot has drawbacks. One problem with the spring-loaded pin is that it is difficult to captivate in relation to the RJ45 or fiber connector. Current methods used to captivate the spring-loaded pin include an overmolded boot, a clip on boot or a boot designed specifically to work with the spring-loaded. These methods are more difficult to assemble than standard patch cords.
Another problem is that the spring-loaded pin 2 is deflected in a direction normal to the patch panel front face. This has several drawbacks. First, if there is a problem with the PCB 7 on which the outlet contact 8 is positioned, it is impossible to replace the PCB 7 without disturbing the data connections established by the plug 3 and outlet 6. In other words, the plug 3 must be disconnected to service the outlet contact PCB 7. Second, RJ45 and fiber mated connections have a certain amount of “play” in the connection. The “play” travel is greater in the horizontal direction (i.e., normal to the face of the patch panel) versus the vertical direction. To compensate for the horizontal play a longer contact pin 2 is required on the plug, making the pin 2 more prone to damage during use. Lastly, incidental contact with the pogo pin 2 (during normal use) is usually applied in a vertical direction, or parallel to the face of the patch panel. This can damage the pin 2, making it unable to perform its normal function.